Ore separators and concentrators



Aug. 9, 1955 R. R. SIDES 2,714,962

ORE SEPARATORS AND CONCENTRATORS Filed July 25, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 W!kg I!!! i I" s [I] r Q I"I 1NVEN'T0R.

1955 R. R. SIDES 2,714,962

ORE SEPARATORS AND CONCENTRATORS Filed July 23, 1952 INVENTOR.

Pas Y 5? 5/05;

ORE SEPARATORS AND CON CENTRATORS Ruby R. Sides, Denver, Colo.Application July 23, 1952, Serial No. 300,468

3 Claims. (Cl. 209-437) This invention relates to an ore separator orconcentrator, and has for its principal object the provision of a simpleand economical device of this character which will have a relativelyhigh ore capacity in proportion to its size and power requirements, andwhich will be highly eflicient in the recovery and separation of thevalues in ore and sand.

A further object of the invention is to provide an ore separator orconcentrator which will act to impart kinetic energy to the oreparticles which will assist gravity in separating the heavier mineralsfrom the lighter gangue in the feed material, and which will operate ona continuous flow of feed material. t

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of theinvention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efliciency.These will become more apparent from the following description. In thefollowing detailed description of the invention, reference is bad to theaccompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numerals refer tolike parts in all views of the drawing and throughout the description.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the improved ore separator. and concentrator;

Fig. 2 is a side view thereof;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-section, taken on the line 3-3, Fig. 2,illustrating in broken lines various operative positions of themechanism, to be later described;

Fig. 4 is a similarly enlarged, fragmentary, longitudinal section, takenon the line 44, Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic cross-section through a sluice box employed inthe invention, illustrating the lateral directions of flow of fluidstherein.

The improved ore concentrator is supported on a base frame consisting oflongitudinally extending side frame members supporting spaced-apartcross frame members 11. A supporting framework 12 is erected adjacentone of the side frame members 10 adjacent one extremity of the latter.

An elongated, open-topped sluice box 13, which may be provided with aplurality of transversally extending, spaced-apart bottom riflies 39, issupported longitudinally of the base frame and over the latter. The box13 is preferably, but not necessarily, substantially level throughoutits length, but may in some instances, depending upon the particular orebeing worked, be inclined upwardly from its feed extremity to itsdischarge extremity. The feed extremity is closed and is provided withoutwardly inclined hopper boards 15 to form a feed hopper at the latterextremity. The discharge extremity is open to provide an overflow lip14.

The box 13 is supported adjacent this discharge extremity upon one ofthe cross frame members 11 through the medium of a universally movablesupporting hinge 16 which allows the box to freely tilt in any desireddirection, but prevents sideward or endwise movement thereof.

2,714,962 Patented Aug. 9., 1955 The feed extremity of the box 13 issupported on a transversally extending, angle iron track member 17supported from the side frame members 10. Two parallel bracket plates 19are secured to the bottom of the box and extend downwardly therefromadjacent the track member 17 and at right angles to the longitudinalaxis of the box.

A roller shaft 20 is mounted in a bearing sleeve 21 supported by thebracket plates adjacent the bottoms of the latter, to provide an axlefor a grooved roller 22. The roller 22 is positioned on, and arranged toroll along, the track member 17. The plates 19 may be cut away, as shownat 23, to allow access to the roller and to reduce the weight of theplates. The length of travel of the roller 22 is limited by means of anelongated roller frame 24 which is secured to, and supported from, thetrack member 17 about the roller 22. The track frame also acts toprevent the roller from bouncing on the track member.

It can be seen that the above mounting allows the box 13 to tilt freelyto the right or left about the axis of the roller shaft 20. It alsoallows the feed extremity of the box to swing freely to the right orleft as the roller 22 rolls back and forth along the track member 17.The above movements occur in combination and simultaneously, and areimparted to the box through the medium of a tilting lever 25 whichextends rigidly outward to one side of the feed extremity of the box toa position beneath the supporting framework 12.

The tilting lever is secured in a U-shaped yoke 26 in which the boxrests, and the yoke is securely braced from the lever by means ofsuitable angle braces 27. The projecting extremity of the tilting lever25 is supported by means of a connecting rod 28 which is suspended froma crank 29 on a crank shaft 30. The connecting rod 28 is connected tothe tilting lever 25 through the medium of a suitable universal joint31, and is similarly connected to the crank 29 by means of a similaruniversal joint 32. The joints 31 and 32 allow the lever 25 to moveparallel to the axis of the crank shaft 30, and also allow the lever 25and the crank 29 to rotate within their respective joints.

The crank shaft 30 is mounted in suitable pillow blocks 33 on thesupporting framework 12 and terminates in any conventional speed reducercontained within a speed reducer housing 34. Power is applied to adriven pulley 35 on the speed reducer through the medium of an endlesstransmission belt 36 extending about a drive pulley 37 on any suitablepower device, such as an electric motor 38. The tension in the belt 36can be regulated by any suitable means, such as by means of a jack screw40, acting against the speed reducer housing 34 to rotate the latterabout the axis of the shaft 30.

The ore or sand from which the values are to be separated orconcentrated is fed into the feed extremity of the box 13, together witha continuous flow of water, as is customary in this class of oreconcentrating devices. The suspended solid materials in the water tendto pocket back of each of the riflies 39. The water successivelyoverflows the riflles and discharges from the overflow lip 14.

The operation as thus far described is somewhat similar to that of theusual sluice box. In this invention, however, a complex movement isimparted to the feed extremity of the box, very closely simulating themovement of a prospectors pan during the act of panning sand for the orevalues.

Let us assume that the motor is operating and that the water and ore arebeing fed into the feed extremity of the box 13, and, for the purpose ofdescription, let us assume that the box is in the solid-line position ofFig. 3. Rotation of the crank shaft 30 will move the crank 29 downwardlytoward the broken-line position C of Fig. 3.

The initial downward movement of the crank laterally tilts the feedextremity of the box 13 toward the dottedline position AA in the latterfigure and simultaneously swings the entire feed extremity to the leftin Fig. 3 toward the dash-dot position BB of Fig. 3 as the roller 22rolls along the track member 17. This causes the fluid contents and thesuspended solids in the box to flow or swish toward the lowering side ofthe box, striking the latter above the bottom of the box, as indicatedin the flow diagram of Fig. 5.

When the box reaches the position BB, the roller reaches the extremityof travel in the roller frame 24, thus abruptly stopping the movement ofthe box and causing the heavy particles in the feed to continue on underthe influence of their kinetic energy added to the influence of gravity.This throws or forces the heavier mineral values into close contact withthe side of the box.

The crank shaft 30 continues to rotate toward the broken-line position Dof Fig. 3 and quickly lifts the lowered side of the box to force theheavier materials against the bottom thereof, thence tilts it in theopposite direction to a position opposite to the position AA of Fig. 3to cause the fluid contents to rapidly flow against the opposite sideabove the bottom as the box is brought to an abrupt stop at the oppositetermination of the travel of the roller 22 and in a position opposite tothe position BB of Fig. 3. The abrupt lifting of the filled side of thebox and the abrupt stopping of the flow against the opposite sidecontinues to cause a transverse figure 8 flow of the fluid, as shown inFig. 5, which deposits the heavier materials in a medial pile or ridge18 along the middle of the box throughout the entire length thereof.

This combination of tilting, rolling, stopping and lifting motion ismost extreme at the forward or feed extremity of the box, and graduallytapers out as the discharge extremity is approached. The dischargeextremity is subjected only to a gentle, forward-and-back, tiltingmotion which will not disturb the retention of the fine values adjacentthe discharge.

The retention of the values is assisted by, but is not dependent upon,the riflies. The action of the combined motions tend to force the waterin a direction opposite to the direction in which the heavier values areforced to obtain a highly efficient, hydraulic separation. This appearsto be due to the fact that the swinging of the entire length of the boxabout the vertical axis of the universal joint 16 creates a centrifugaleffect on the water, causing it to flow along the bottom of the boxtoward the feed extremity, where it will rise against the descending orep until a sufficient water head is created to overflow toward thedischarge extremity and over the overflow lip .14. While the above wateraction is taking place, the heavies are being thrown back and forthbetween the box sides on an alternating, zig-zag, step-by-step coursetoward the discharge extremity until they settle in the comparativelyquiescent zone along the middle of the box bottom, as shown at 18 inFig. 5.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described andillustrated herein, it is to be understood that the same may be varied,within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from thespirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired securedby Letters Patent is:

1. An ore separating device comprising: a supporting frame; asubstantially level, elongated box having a feed extremity and an opendischarge extremity; a universal joint supported from said frame andbeing medially secured beneath the discharge extremity of said boxwhereby the latter may be tilted and swung in all directions; astraight, horizontal track member supported by said frame beneath thefeed extremity of said box and extending transversally of the long axisof the latter; a roller positioned on, and arranged to roll freelyalong, said track member; a roller shaft in said roller; bracket meansmounting the mid-portion of said feed extremity on said roller shaft;and means for tilting said box about the axis of said roller, saidroller being free to roll along said track so that the said roller willbe caused to roll along said track member in consequence of the impactof the material rushing to the low side of said box when the latter istilted.

2. An ore separating device as described in claim 1 having a tiltinglever rigidly aflixed to said box adjacent the feed extremity thereofand extending sidewardly therefrom; a crank rotatably supported fromsaid frame above the outer extremity of said tilting lever; and aconnecting member suspending the outer extremity of said tilting leverfrom said crank, said connecting member being free to swing in alldirections relative to the axes of said crank and said tilting lever soas not to impede the independent, free travel of said roller along saidtrack member.

3. An ore separating device as described in claim 2 having an elongatedroller frame supported from said supporting frame about the path ofmovement of said roller and acting to limit the vertical and horizontalmovements of said roller.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS804,466 Hamilton Nov. 14, 1905 815,853 Mitchell Mar. 20, 1906 849,553Michaelson Apr. 9, 1907

1. AN ORE SEPARATING DEVICE COMPRISING: A SUPPORTING FRAME; ASUBSTANTIALLY LEVEL, ELONGATED BOX HAVING A FEED EXTREMITY AND AN OPENDISCHARGE EXTREMITY; A UNIVERSAL JOINT SUPPORTED FROM SAID FRAME ANDBEING MEDIALLY SECURED BENEATH THE DISCHARGE EXTREMITY OF SAID BOXWHEREBY THE LATTER MAY BE TITLED AND SWUNG IN ALL DIRECTIONS; ASTRAIGHT, HORIZONTAL TRACK MEMBER SUPPORTED BY SAID FRAME BENEATH THEFEED EXTREMITY OF SAID BOX AND EXTENDING TRANVERSALLY OF THE LONG AXISOF THE LATTER; A ROLLER POSITIONED ON, AND ARRANGED TO ROLL FREELYALONG, SAID TRACK MEMBER; A ROLLER SHAFT IN SAID ROLLER; BRACKET MEANSMOUNTING THE MID-PORTION OF SAID FEED EXTREMITY ON SAID ROLLER SHAFT;AND MEANS FOR TILTING SAID BOX ABOUT THE AXIS OF SAID ROLLER, SAIDROLLER BEING FREE TO ROLL ALONG SAID TRACK SO THAT THE SAID ROLLER WILLBE CAUSED TO ROLL ALONG SAID TRACK MEMBER IN CONSEQUENCE OF THE IMPARTOF THE MATERIAL RUSHING TO THE LOW SIDE OF SAID BOX WHEN THE LATTER ISTILTED.